How to use this site    About Us    Submissions    Feedback    Donate    Links   

Assemblies.org.uk - School Assemblies for every season for everyone

Decorative image - Secondary

Email Twitter Facebook

-
X
-

You’ve Got What It Takes

Staying strong during tough times

by Helen Gwynne-Kinsey

Suitable for Whole School (Sec)

Aims

To help us to understand how perseverance can bring hope.

Preparation and materials

  • None required.

Assembly

  1. There is no doubt that we have all been living through difficult, challenging times since the beginning of 2020. Suddenly, we were faced with obstacles and problems that we could never have imagined. However, it is to our credit that we have been able to face the challenges and show that we’ve got what it takes.

  2. If a person has got what it takes, it means that they have displayed the correct skills and mindset required to meet certain challenges. It also conveys the characteristics of perseverance: the ability to keep going with continued effort and determination in spite of the obstacles that have confronted us.

  3. Perseverance is a feature that is valued highly in many of the world’s religions.

    - Islam teaches that when a person is challenged and responds with perseverance, their faith and character become stronger.
    - Within the rabbinic teachings of Judaism, we find it said that perseverance is rooted in hope, and that hope is rooted in the belief that things will get better.
    In Buddhism, we find the concept of the ‘good friend’: this is someone who has empathy with us, cares for us and offers us support in times when the ability to persevere slips away from us and we are in danger of giving up.

Time for reflection

Ask the students to reflect upon the following Bible verse: ‘Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord.’ (Psalm 31.24)

- Think about a time when you have drawn upon your own personal inner strength and have overcome a difficult challenge or problem.

Pause to allow time for thought.

- Be proud of your achievement.

Pause to allow time for thought.

- Think about those around you who have given you their support during difficult times.

Pause to allow time for thought.

- Be thankful for those in your support network.

Pause to allow time for thought.

- Recognize the times when you have been the ‘good friend’ who has provided support to others.

Pause to allow time for thought.

- Perseverance can bring hope, and we all look forward to better times ahead. However, don’t forget that if you are struggling, be sure to ask for help. We, as a caring school community, are here to support you when you need it most.

Pause to allow time for thought.

Prayer
Dear God,
Please help us to be stronger individuals as a result of our perseverance.
Let us move forward in a positive way towards a future that brings hope, happiness, satisfaction and success for all.
Amen.

Song/music

‘The climb’ by Miley Cyrus, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG2zyeVRcbs (3.48 minutes long)

Publication date: May 2021   (Vol.23 No.5)    Published by SPCK, London, UK.
Print this page